Matt Biolos, head shaper of …Lost Surfboards, could be credited with starting the movement towards shorter, fatter, wider surfboard designs when the original Rocket became a global phenomenon. The Rocket legacy continues with the better than ever V3 Rocket!
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Pluses
+ Lively, smooth, fast, playful, forgiving, serious…following the Rocket legacy, the new V3 Rocket just works!
+ More refined, elliptical outline versus previous Rocket models enables the V3 to perform in better quality, more powerful waves
+ Great distribution of foam creates a good balance of speed and paddle power without feeling bulky
Minuses
– When riding the V3 as a quad in bigger, hollower waves, I slid out a few times when pushing the tail too hard
Benny Rides
The Lost Surfboards V3 Rocket by Matt Biolos at 6’4 x 21 x 2 3/4 @ 41.06L’s of volume (NB, I normally ride the original Rocket as a 6’2 – sometimes I wish I had ordered the V3 as a 6’2 but sometimes the extra length/volume feels just right…if that’s helpful). Full standard Lost V3 Rocket surfboard volumes and dimensions at the bottom of this page.
Best Wave Type
Waist high to well overhead (I have surfed my V3 Rocket up to 2xOH), hollow or flat faced, weak or powerful, beach, reef or point…the V3’s wave range leans more towards quality vs. previous Rocket models but it still works in just about everything!
Compare To
- …Lost Rocket (original) surfboard review: a game changing board for me that works freakishly well in most of the conditions most of us surf most of the time
- Firewire Spitfire surfboard review: a similar shape and concept by Firewire
- Haydenshapes Hypto Krypto surfboard review: a ripping little small to medium size wave board – front half looks and acts a fish, the back half is all business
- Chilli Rare Bird surfboard review: an explosively fast, versatile board that works from waist high and mushy to well overhead and hollow
- Channel Islands #4 by Dane Reynolds surfboard review: an über versatile small to medium size wave all rounder but will easily handle big, hollow waves, too
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Lost V3 Rocket Surfboard – Deck
Video Summary
Hey, welcome to Benny’s Boardroom! Welcome back! I have never had so many people ask me to review one surfboard as this board right here, the V3 Rocket. Perhaps it’s because I’m a big fan of Matt Biolos on the website. I have an unhealthy obsession with the original …Lost Rocket, which was a game changing board for me. It was a board [00:00:30] that worked in everything. And I think that Matt Biolos is recognized as being at least one of the people who has started this revolution of making surfboards that are shorter, fatter and wider when, at the time, high performance short boards were really narrow, thin and long. Now, most every manufacturer is making the majority of their boards shorter and fatter and wider. I think the original …Lost Rocket is part of the reason why. It just works in everything.
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Sequels are hard to back up. I didn’t actually buy the [00:01:00] V2 Rocket so I don’t know how that went. I went straight to this V3 Rocket; and the V3 Rocket, I have to say, I’m not disappointed in the board. It goes fantastically well in lots and lots of different wave types. I have been surfing this for a few weeks now and I’ve surfed it all the way from solid overhead to double overhead waves all the way down to waist to shoulder high, flatter faced, peaky beach break waves.
Lost V3 Rocket Surfboard – Bottom
Just this last weekend, [00:01:30] I was surfing the V3 Rocket in this powerful, dredgy, A-framing, hollow beach break at a couple feet overhead and it just performed. It works in lots and lots of different conditions.
The key difference, I think, in the design between this and the original rocket and to some extent, I think the V2 as well, is you can see that the nose and tail kind have been narrowed slightly. The double bump you see in the tail is similar to what you see on the Lost R.V. and some other surfboards out there (thinking the Channel Islands #4 by Dane Reynolds). [00:02:00] You can see that this takes the surface area of the tail and brings it in quite nicely back into that Rocket tail. And, while that Rocket tail while it’s still a wider tail, it is narrower than Rockets of the past. If you look at the nose, it’s the same story. This nose is a little bit narrower right up the tip than other Rockets of the past.
Lost V3 Rocket Surfboard – Tail
Overall, the outline is more elliptical and I think this allows the V3 Rocket to perform perhaps in better waves than the Rockets in the past. I always used to say [00:02:30] that, as much as I love my (original) Rocket, I don’t know if I would have taken it to Indonesia. It was one of those things where every year ,when I had a trip, I kind of looked at it…and then said, “Well, maybe there’s a better surfboard to take to Indonesia than the Rocket.” This V3 Rocket surfboard, I would take to Indonesia because, again, I’ve surfed it in those more hollow, powerful waves and it performs.
You can see that the V3 Rocket has a little bit of rocker but not too much. It has a little bit of nose rocker and a touch of tail rocker. But true to the Rocket design, it [00:03:00] doesn’t have a great deal of rocker through the center of the board. The rails are nice, medium rails; not too thick but not too thin. And the bottom contour is similar to the Rockets you see in the past; a single concave that runs through to a double concave out the back.
Lost V3 Rocket Surfboard – Rocker
Lost V3 Rocket Surfboard – Rocker
The one thing that I’ll say, if I were to provide a bit of feedback if you’re going to get this board, is that there are times when you will want the V3 Rocket setup as a thruster. I surfed it this last weekend in those hollower, heavier beach break conditions [00:03:00] and I was surfing it as a quad because I love surfing quads. But I did find that when I pushed it hard, the tail slid out a few times. I think if I were to be in that situation again,where I’m surfing steeper, hollower waves – definitely if I went to Indonesia with the V3 Rocket – I would surf it as a thruster and I think it would perform better in those more critical conditions.
The …Lost V3 Rocket of course paddles like a dream, catches lots of waves easily, goes really fast and is just fun to ride. Man, it just works so many different conditions.
Lost V3 Rocket Surfboard – Bottom
That is the …Lost V3 Rocket surfboard review. [00:04:00] I have already had a few people share their experiences with the V3 Rocket with me and so far everyone seems to love this board! If you’ve had a go on it, please let me know what you think and thank you very much for watching Benny’s Boardroom!
Stock Standard Dimensions & Volume
Standard Lost Surfboards V3 Rocket surfboard standard dimensions and volume from Lost’s Website:
| Length | Width | Thickness | Volume |
| 5’6 | 19 1/4 | 2 1/4 | 26.81L |
| 5’7 | 19 3/8 | 2 1/3 | 28.36L |
| 5’8 | 19 1/2 | 2 1/3 | 29.06L |
| 5’9 | 19 5/8 | 2 3/8 | 30.44L |
| 5’10 | 20 | 2 1/2 | 32.97L |
| 6’0 | 20 1/4 | 2 5/6 | 35.24L |
| 6’2 | 20 1/2 | 2 5/8 | 37.86L |
| 6’4 | 21 | 2 3/4 | 41.06L |
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2nd surf on my 6'0 stealth with channels.... goes insane.. fast, loose and steady in the barrel( well one at least)
I bought a V3 in carbon cork construction. Dims on the board say it is 6'0 x 20.25 x 2.38 x 32.8 L....frankly it feels thicker than 2. 38 and more volume than 32.8, but it could be the construction. The board has nice down the line drive, and paddles great under chest. I have ridden it from waist high to overhead surf, and it does way better in hollow waves. It struggles in anything under chest high and feels a little stiff.
So I purchased a V3 Rocket a couple weeks ago. Got the stock 5'10"-32.3cl. I'm 6' 180lbs. 38yrs old. I have been short boarding for about 7 winters. I surf daily when there are waves. I got this board to surf our average north shore Maui days. Windy, crowded, with waves fluctuating in height on the drop of a dime in the same session. I've rode it anywhere from 1'-to 5'+ (we're talking backs here.) Paddles out great, it's fast and lively down the line, but I seem to be having some trouble finding the sweet spot on a lot of drops. It also is a bit to squirley at times. Mostly have been riding the FCS V2 thruster set up. Also tried AM2 med quads and the K3's. So my question is should I maybe go a little longer to the 5'11" or 6'? Or are should I be looking to switch up the fins? I have Finatic and I am waiting on the AM2 LG 5 fin, and also the MBS 5 fin. Love all the board reviews and videos!!
Love Anthony's review, especially around the use of the MR twin fins. This board renewed my love for surfing shortboards. I've never ridden mine as a quad, or with the MR set. Any recommendations for Quad fin sets for this board? she goes so well with Accelerators in front and Reactor in back but I'm game to try a quad setup - leaning towards either MB Quad keel set, or the 5 pack MB tri/quad set - can't get any info from ...Lost
It's only taken 2 surfs to fall completely in love with this board, first in 1ft tiny gutless waves and then in 4ft onshore peaky beachies. I have the EPS carbon wrap model with a set of MR twins with trailer. What a super fun combo this is, Super super fast and agile, the board does what ever you want it to, hard on rail or slide the tail and this thing just bites and goes. It just makes everything so much more fun than traditional shortboards, especially in small waves. I was hesitant to spend the big dollars on the EPS but after riding this thing I have forgotten about the cash spent on it. If you're looking for fun, this is your board. Strongly recommend the FCS2 MR twin fin combo in this board. The most fun board I've ridden. I'm 5'7" tall and 70kgs, I riding the 5'6" 26.6L. It really has breathed fresh air into my surfing.
I got the 6'4" V3 Rocket based on the reviews here and from friends who have them and rode them where I normally surf (e.g. Trestles)...struggled a little during first 2 sessions, possibly due to initial quad setup. Also, waves werent all that great so riding in better conditions and/or in less crowd should provide better feedback. Next session I am configuring with JJF Futures (med.) which have worked well for me on my V2 Shortboard.
I'm 1.83 and 80kg and i bought a 5'10 with 32.3L... first i tought it was a bit little volume for me, if i'll buy it again i'll probably go 5'8 with 28L. I feel the board a little bulky, it was hard to generate speed and to do tight arcs.. i sold it with 4 months and bought a Hypto Krypto. I preferred the HK, i think the flat bottom help the novices to generate speed and make the sessions... if you have to choose, go with the krypto.
Epoxy lost surfboards on the Gold Coast are crap.
Wrong size even though custom ordered.
Wrong fins put in.
Carbon fibre hanging out of tail.
Told 6 weeks took 3.5 months.
Never again.
Had mine a while now so have tried it in a variety of conditions, from chest high beach break close outs to double overhead powerful righthand points, and I agree with everything Benny says about the board. It is a great all rounder and would recommend it to anyone. Beautiful board!
I love this board. It is a game changer. It is helping me a lot with paddling and my wave count has never been so high. I surfed it in waist high to way overhead beach breaks, mushy and hollow, and it works in all. Can't be any happier with a board. I tried my old fins (G3) and also tried the FCS2 Performers. The old side fins are flat inside and felt faster than the FCS2, but it was a hollow and stronger day then... I will keep trying different fin sets, next session will be with a quad set. Thank you!